Orange Cranberry Muffins (vegan)
A healthy and delicious oil-free quick bread featuring fragrant oranges and fresh cranberries – perfect for your holiday breakfast or brunch.
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 Tbsp milled flax seed
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ½ cup raw or coconut or date sugar*
- 1 tsp vanilla (or ½ tsp cake batter flavoring)
- 1¾ cups white wheat flour or spelt flour**
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt optional
- 2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
- ½ cup hemp hearts or chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 Tbsp coconut, date, or raw sugar (for topping muffins) (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Prepare a muffin pan by lining with paper liners or greasing the inside with coconut oil.***
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, flax meal, apple sauce, sugar, and vanilla together. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; and fold together until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan (or loaf pan), filling above the liner’s edge.
- Sprinkle a little sugar on top, if desired.
- Bake standard muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. See notes below for other sizes.***
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Place the muffins on a cooling rack and allow the muffins to cool completely. This allows for the best release. Or if you are super hungry, try to wait at least 10 minutes, then carefully peel back the liner.
Notes
* I like using coconut sugar; but you can also use date sugar or organic raw sugar. I used raw sugar for the photos. The coconut sugar will result in a slightly darker muffin.
** You may use a mixture of flours to achieve a lighter texture, including a 1 for 1 gluten-free baking mix. Though you may need to bake this longer if using gluten-free flour. I like using white whole wheat flour or spelt flour in baked goods.
*** Since these healthy plant-based cranberry orange muffins do not contain oil, you need to use a silicon or lined muffin pan or grease your muffin pan with coconut oil. I like using unbleached baking cups that act almost like parchment paper. Allow the muffins to cool completely to allow the best release. Or if you’re like my husband, wait at least 10 minutes, then carefully peel back the liner.